B26) “radas -F2hew 
LSM Y AS 
Wwnasnw NwL MOdOMIAW — 


hi gale te Oe 3 


y+ 
’ » 


YORK - MCMXXVIII 


PRINTED IN 


THE UNITED ST 


bi 


% me ew Pe Ai Pik 7 
ii a ee a a ek, A 
o- yay f 
| : “ 
\ 
7 | 
\ } 7 


cM, 


ATES 


eas 


LENDERS 


To the generous lenders, whose coéperation has made this 
exhibition possible, the Museum tenders its heartiest thanks. 
GEORGE AND FLORENCE BLUMENTHAL 

MR. AND MRS. ARTHUR LEHMAN 

THE HON. ANDREW W. MELLON 

GEORGE D. PRATT 

HAROLD IRVING PRATT 

FELIX M. WARBURG 


FRIENDS 


INTRODUCTION 


The remarkable development of tapestry weaving in 
the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries was due to 
several causes. The gradual cessation of cathedral 
building — the preoccupation of early mediaeval art — 
had released talent for other purposes. Artists were 
no longer unsophisticated, as they had been in the 
preceding period when the principles of Gothic art 
and its system of ornament were being determined 
under the tutelage of architecture; they were now 
highly accomplished, adequate both in number and 
in capability for any demand that might be made 
upon them. Patronage of the arts no longer rested al- 
most exclusively with the Church. The growth of 
individualism was accompanied by the amassment of 
private fortunes; and as noble and burgher increased 
in wealth, greater luxury surrounded them in their 
homes. Under these new conditions, the arts of deco- 
ration flourished, and none more than the craft of 
the tapestry weavers, whose storied hangings brought 
color and diverting pattern to the somber Gothic in- 
terior, and served as precious gifts to the Church. 
Among the centers of tapestry weaving toward the 
end of the fourteenth century and in the beginning 
of the fifteenth, Paris was of notable importance. The 
cartoons for its weavers were supplied by the artists 
from the Low Countries who at this time dominated 
all forms of artistic expression at the courts of France 
and Burgundy. In style, these productions show na- 
Vil 


tive French tradition modified by Flemish and Ital- — 
ian influence. Unhappily, surviving examples of these 
early Franco-Flemish tapestries of the Paris and Ar- 
ras ateliers are rare. The type is superbly represented 
in this exhibition by the Annunciation tapestry (No. 
1) lent by Harold Irving Pratt. 

The leadership in tapestry production passed to Ar- 
ras and Tournai when the disasters of the Hundred 
Years’ War put an end to the early prosperity of the 
Paris looms. The industry had long been established 
in both these Lowland cities. At first, Arras was the 
more important, but in the second quarter of the 
fifteenth century Tournai* came to the front, and 
held the supremacy until succeeded by Brussels in 
the sixteenth century. Politically, Tournai formed 
part of the French royal domain from the time of 
Philippe Auguste until early in the sixteenth century; 
but culturally it belonged to the Low Countries. 
Tournai, whence came most of the great tapestries 
of the fifteenth century — hunting scenes and other 
genre subjects, narratives of battles, legends, and 
saintly lives (exemplified in this exhibition by two 
pieces of the Saint Peter set, woven for the Bishop 


1 The cartoon painters of Tournai and other cities in the Low 
Countries are discussed by Dr. Phyllis Ackerman in Recently 
Identified Designers of Gothic Tapestries, published in The 
Art Bulletin, vol. IX, no. 2 (December, 1926). This article, 
embodying in brief form the results of Dr. Ackerman’s re- 
searches concerning designers’ signatures, is a most impor- 
tant contribution to the study of tapestries. 


Vili 


of Beauvais, Nos. 2 and 3)—developed a borderland 
style that mingles French and Flemish traits. The 
cartoons of four (Nos. 5-8) of the six tapestries of 
the Hunt of the Unicorn, which we are privileged to 
include in this exhibition, are presumably the work 
of a Tournai designer. The animation of the scenes, 
the vigorous drawing of the strongly individualized 
figures, the complexity of the compositions bespeak 
Flemish influence. At the same time, there is evident 
a clarity of design and a love of flowery mead and 
wooded landscape that is thoroughly French. These 
four tapestries combine the best of both traditions. 
The other two that complete the set are more purely 
French in style. Together, they count among the 
finest achievements of the Gothic tapestry looms. 
With the revival of industry after the conclusion of 
peace between France and England in 1453 there 
appears to have been a considerable production of 
tapestries in the region of the Loire toward the close 
of the fifteenth century and in the early years of the 
sixteenth. 

Touraine tapestries include religious subjects; alle- 
gories, such as the handsome Triumph of Time (No. 
16) lent by George D. Pratt; and “histories” of the 
type so delightfully represented by the two Lucretia 
tapestries (Nos. 14 and 15) lent by Felix M. War- 
burg. Perhaps the most characteristic productions, 
however, are the millefleurs, of which the exhibition 
includes three superlative examples, lent by Mr. and 


1x 


Mrs. Arthur Lehman (No. 10), the Hon. Andrew 
W. Mellon (No. 11), and George and Florence Blu- 
menthal (Nos. 12-13). 

In early Gothic tapestries, the landscape backgrounds, 
highly conventionalized, are embellished with quaint 
little flowering plants. When these are combined to 
form a solid background, a mosaic, as it were, of 
flowers and leaves, we have the millefleurs. This type 
of tapestry continued in favor into the sixteenth cen- 
tury. As time went on, the drawing became more 
naturalistic. Sometimes, as in No. 11, flowering sprays 
were substituted for the plant motives. Small animals, 
such as birds and rabbits, usually enliven these fields 
of a “thousand flowers.” Occasionally there are trees, 
often laden with fruit, to give variety in scale. Against 
these vernal backgrounds, coats of arms are shown, 
or groups of playing children, shepherds and shep- 
herdesses, or, most popular of all, lords and ladies 
pleasantly engaged in hunting, holding gallant con- 
versations, or listening to music. 

French characteristics appear clearly in the tapestries 
of Touraine. They are less confused in composition 
than the Flemish; the figures are larger in propor- 
tion to the size of the tapestries; the costumes are 
more faithfully studied from actuality; the colors, 
among which shades of rose are popular, are gayer, 
more limpid. They have the charm that is the un- 
failing distinction of French art. 

JOSEPH BRECK. 


i 


NO] 9 THE UNICORN ENCLOSED 


CATALOGUE 


I THE ANNUNCIATION 


Franco-Flemish, about 1400 
Pri FT. 4 IN., W. 9 FT. 6IN. 
LENT BY HAROLD IRVING PRATT 


This tapestry is of exceptional interest, not only for its early 
date — since few tapestries of this period now exist — but also 
for its vigorous design and rich, full-hued coloring. It is a 
masterpiece worthy to be classed with the famous tapestries 
of the Apocalypse in the Cathedral of Angers, designed by 
Jean de Bandol, known as Jean de Bruges (who was paid for 
his cartoons in 1377,-78,-79), and woven by Nicolas Bataille 
of Paris and his successors. 

The cartoon for the Annunciation tapestry has been ascribed 
to Willem van Roome (cf. Introduction, p. viii). It recalls 
in many respects the Annunciation painted by Melchior Broe- 
derlam in 1399 on one of the shutters of a reredos now in 
the Dijon Museum. Analogies have also been noted with a 
set of six panel paintings of the Paris school in the Cuvellier 
Collection at Niort and the Mayer Van der Bergh Collection 
at Antwerp. Although it may not be possible to identify with 
certainty the designer of the Pratt Annunciation, the tapes- 
try is clearly related in style to the productions of the Neth- 
erlandish artists and their followers who worked for the 
courts of France and Burgundy in the late fourteenth and 
early fifteenth centuries. 


2-3 TWO SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT 
PETER 
French, Tournat, 1460 


& 


[2]| TABITHA RAISED FROM THE DEAD 
H.4 FT. 101N., W. 4 FT. 5I1N. 


[3] APPARITION OF THE ANGEL TO CORNELIUS 
HS FT,, W. 4 FT. 
LENT BY THE HON. ANDREW W. MELLON 


a7 


These tapestries form part of the set picturing the life of 
Saint Peter, completed in 1460 for Guillaume de Hellande, 
Bishop of Beauvais, and presented by him to the Cathedral 
of Saint Peter at Beauvais. Most of the set, of which twenty- 
three scenes exist, is still at Beauvais; four pieces are in three 
private collections in America. The coats of arms are those 
of the donor (Hellande quartering Montmorency with an 
inescutcheon of Néele de Lozinghem), and of the Bishopric 
of Beauvais (gold, a red cross, cantoned with four keys of 
the same). The word parx (peace), which occurs frequently 
on the tapestries, is a joyful allusion to the truce concluded 
in 1444 during the Hundred Years’ War between France 
and England, shortly before Bishop Guillaume’s elevation to 
the see. Several pieces of the set are signed, according to Dr. 
Ackerman (cf. Introduction, p. viii), by Jean 11 of the le 
Quien family of Tournai tapestry designers. 

For the resurrection of Tabitha, see The Acts of the Apos- 
tles 1x: 36-42. The French inscription on the scroll above the 
figures may be translated: ‘How at Joppa St. Peter raised 
from the dead Tabitha, a good charitable woman.” For the 
short inscription beside the head of Saint Peter the transla- 
tion is: “Tabitha, arise.” 

The apparition of the angel to Cornelius is related in The 
Acts of the Apostles x:1-8. The longer of the two inscrip- 
tions, in French, reads in translation: “How the angel showed 
himself to Cornelius the centurion, saying that he should 
send and ask Saint Peter for his salvation.” The shorter in- 
scription, on the scroll carried by the angel, is translated: 
“Send and call Simon.” 


4-9 THE HUNT OF THE UNICORN 
French, about 1500 

[4] THE HUNTERS SEEK THE UNICORN 
HH. (LE PTL WRIA Ne 


[5] THE UNICORN AT THE FOUNTAIN 
Hi ERTS Wets ee. 


18 


[6] THE UNICORN TRIES TO ESCAPE 
H. II FT., W. 13 FT. 


[7] THE UNICORN DEFENDS HIMSELF 
H. II FT., W. 13 FT. 


[8] THE UNICORN IS KILLED OR WOUNDED, 


AND BROUGHT TO THE LADY OF THE CASTLE 
Mont PT. W. 12 FT. 


[9] THE UNICORN ENCLOSED 
Poe bs, Ws T2sFT. 


LENT BY FRIENDS 


The subject of these tapestries is not, as might appear at 
first sight, merely the hunt and capture of a fabulous animal. 
The chase is an allegory of the Incarnation of Our Lord, 
Who is figured in the tapestries by the unicorn, symbol of 
purity. It is related in the old bestiaries that this animal 
could be captured only by a virgin. Attracted to her by his 
love of chastity, the unicorn would rest his head in her lap, 
thus permitting the hunters to approach and capture him. 
In the first tapestry (No. 4) we see the hunters setting forth 
in search of the unicorn. In some representations of this al- 
legory there are only two hunters, God and Gabriel, who are 
accompanied by four (or seven) hounds, symbolizing the 
Virtues. But the designer of the set here exhibited appears 
to have been moved less by the religious significance of his 
theme than by the opportunity it afforded for the represen- 
tation of the picturesque incidents of a great hunting party, 
and for the two hunters he has substituted a gay company 
of sportsmen. Probably reminiscent of the compositions in 
which the Archangel Gabriel appeared is the inscription on 
the scabbard of one of the figures in the left foreground of 
No. 7 reading: avE REGINA Cc (OELORUM), “Hail, Queen 
of Heaven.” 

In No. 5, the hunters have surrounded the unicorn who, 
kneeling, dips his horn in a stream flowing from a fountain. 
It was believed in the Middle Ages that the horn of the 


” 


unicorn possessed the virtue of detecting poison. According 
to legend, the animals of the forest would not drink from 
a pool until the unicorn had first purified it with his horn. 
The animals in the foreground of the tapestry, save the 
snarling cur symbolizing the devil, exemplify various quali- 
ties of Christ: the lion, His strength; the panther, His sweet 
savour; the stag and the weasel, destroyers of snakes, His 
power over evil. 

In the third (No. 6) and fourth (No. 7) pieces of the set, the 
unicorn is attacked and defends himself. 

In the fifth (No. 8), he is wounded or killed, and the body, 
thrown over the back of a horse, is brought to the chatelaine 
(the Virgin Mary), who has come with her husband from 
the castle on the outskirts of the woods to greet the return- 
ing hunters. 

The last tapestry (No. 9), representing the accomplishment 
of the Incarnation, shows the unicorn, against a background 
of millefleurs, chained within the hortus conclusus, the en- 
closed garden, which symbolizes the Blessed Virgin. 

This magnificent set of tapestries, splendidly enriched with 
silk and gold, comes from the ch4teau of Verteuil, the an- 
cestral seat of the family of La Rochefoucauld. According to 
one tradition, the set was woven about 1450 to commemo- 
rate the marriage of Jean de la Rochefoucauld with Mar- 
guerite de Barbezieux; according to another, the tapestries 
were made for Frangois de la Rochefoucauld, the godfather 
of Francois 1, King of France. 

Neither tradition is substantiated by the cipher which is 
repeated in several places on each of the tapestries, occurring 
even on the collars of some of the hounds. This cipher, com- 
bining the initials of the lord and lady for whom the tapes- 
tries were made, is composed of the letters A and E, the 
latter reversed. That the second initial is not the letter M 
turned on its side, as it has been claimed, appears certain 
from the A and E unreversed clearly inscribed on the collar 
of one of the dogs in the first tapestry of the set (No. 4). 
On the collar of another dog in this same tapestry, a coat of 


20 


arms is thrice repeated, separated by the letter A. The arms 
have been identified by Robert T. Nichol of the Museum 
staff as those of the great family of Chavagnac d’Amandine 
(Auv.): sable, 2 bars gold, in chief 3 roses of same, quarter- 
ing Du Bost la Blanche (Forez): gold, 3 escutcheons gules. 
Two inconspicuous inscriptions on the tapestries have been 
read by Dr. Ackerman (cf. Introduction, p. viii) as the 
signature of the Tournai tapestry designer, Jean 111 of the 
le Quien family. 

It will be noticed that the ciphers on the first and last tapes- 
tries of the set are slightly different from those on the other 
four pieces. The backgrounds also differ. Unlike the natural- 
istic landscapes in the other pieces of the set, which show at 
the top a narrow strip of sky (destroyed and replaced by 
canvas), the backgrounds of Nos. 4 and g are of the mille- 
fleurs type. Moreover, the figures in No. 4 are inferior in 
drawing to the others, and lack the vivacity that character- 
izes the rest of the set. 

It may consequently be assumed that two ateliers were con- 
cerned in the production of these tapestries. Nos. 4 and 9 
were presumably designed and woven in Touraine. Even 
without the evidence of the reputed signature of Jean 111 le 
Quien, the style of Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 suggests the prob- 
ability of a Tournai origin, at least for the cartoons. In date, 
both groups may be assigned to about 1500. 


IO MILLEFLEURS WITH FIVE YOUTHS AT PLAY 


French, Touraine, about 1500 

H. 8 FT. 9 IN., W. 10 FT. 5 IN. 

LENT BY MR. AND MRS. ARTHUR LEHMAN 

Against a background of millefleurs, five boys are playing a 
game. One, with his hat pulled down over his eyes to blind- 
fold him, is swinging a whip with a shoe tied to the end of 
the lash; the others dodge the blows. On the tree behind the 


central figure is a scroll inscribed: LE TEMPS SCION, “lime 


21 


[also] whips.” Among the flowers to the right of this group 
are playthings: two balls, two sticks, and a ring. A snake 
emerging from the tree trunk, a snail, and a lizard add their 
interest to the composition. A cipher (pc) is repeated on the 
lower corners of the tapestry. Originally the upper corners 
were similarly decorated, but about a foot or so of the tap- 
estry has been destroyed at the top. 


II HUNTING SCENE 


French, Touraine, about 1500 
H,JPT. 7 IN, Welt eT, 
LENT BY THE HON. ANDREW W. MELLON 


Seated on a flowery bank, a lady with a falcon looks at a 
dead heron, held up by a huntsman kneeling in front of her. 
The red background is strewn with sprays of flowers, among 
which pheasants and other birds occur. 

The placing of the figures upon an “island” distinct from the 
background, the color of the background, and the floral 
sprays that decorate it recall the celebrated tapestries of the 
Lady with the Unicorn from the chateau of Boussac near 
Aubusson, now in the Cluny Museum, Paris. 


I2 THE DEPARTURE FOR THE HUNT 
French, Touraine, about 1500 

H. 8 FT. 9% IN., W. 12' FT, 6 IM, 

LENT BY GEORGE AND FLORENCE BLUMENTHAL 


Riding a white horse, a lady carries a falcon on her hand; 
a huntsman, standing in front of her, displays a bird that 
has been brought down. Another horse, to the right, bears a 
young man, behind whom a lady is seated; a dog on a leash 
accompanies them. Two birds fly above the group. The back- 
ground is composed of a great variety of flowering plants 
on a deep blue ground. 

This and the preceding item are exceptionally fine examples 
of millefleurs with scenes of the chase. Hunting, particularly 


22 


in the form of falconry, was one of the favorite pastimes of 
the mediaeval lords and ladies, and quite naturally afforded 
popular material for the tapestry designers. 


I3 SHEPHERD AND SHEPHERDESSES 


French, Touraine, about 1500 
H. 8 FT. 5 IN., W. 10 FT. 


LENT BY GEORGE AND FLORENCE BLUMENTHAL 


A shepherdess quarrels with a shepherd, who holds up his 
hands in protest. To the right of this group is a young 
shepherdess. Behind her and in the foreground are sheep. 
Flowering plants form the background for this rustic scene. 
In amusing contrast to such aristocratic diversions as hunt- 
ing, concerts, and promenades in pleasant meadows, Gothic 
tapestries sometimes show us the humble occupations and 
lusty pleasures of the peasant. Of this type No. 13 is an 
admirable example. 


I4-15 TWO SCENES FROM THE HISTORY OF 
LUCRETIA 


French, Touraine, beginning of the XVI century 


[14] LUCRETIA SURPRISED BY HER HUSBAND, 
COLLATINUS, AND SEXTUS TARQUINUS 
H.6 FT. 10 IN., W. 7 FT. IO IN. 


[15] LUCRETIA ENTERTAINS SEXTUS; HE 
ATTACKS HER VIRTUE 

-H.6 FT. I0IN., W. 7 FT. IOIN. 

LENT BY FELIX M. WARBURG 


A third tapestry of this set, also owned by Mr. Warburg, 
represents Lucretia welcoming Sextus. Livy, in his History 
of Rome, relates that at a banquet given by Sextus Tarqui- 
nus to the young chiefs and princes in the Roman army be- 
sieging Ardea, a dispute arose concerning the virtue of their 


23 


wives. On the suggestion of Collatinus, they visited their 
homes by surprise. Lucretia, the wife of Collatinus, was 
found still at work amid her handmaidens, although it was 
late at night. At the sight of the virtuous Lucretia, Sextus 
became inflamed with passion, and returned a few days 
later alone. He was hospitably received by Lucretia as her 
husband’s kinsman, and entertained at supper. When all had 
retired, he entered her room, and by threats forced her to 
yield to his wishes. After his departure, Lucretia sent for her 
husband and her father, told what had happened, enjoined 
them to avenge her dishonor, and then stabbed herself to death. 
Subjects derived from classical sources are not uncommon in 
the period of these tapestries, but the personages are por- 
trayed in contemporary costume and in the architectural set- 
ting of their own time. To this custom we owe such a de- 
lightful genre scene as that of Lucretia at her kneeling-desk, 
surrounded by her maidens, who are winding wool, weavy- 
ing, and embroidering under their mistress’ direction, as we 
might have seen them in any French chateau of the late 
Gothic period. 

The unusual red-ground borders with balanced designs of 
scrolling sprays of flowers and grape vines entwined with 
knotted ribbons indicate as the date of these tapestries the 
early years of the sixteenth century, when the Renaissance 
style was gradually supplanting the older tradition, a view 
supported by the large scale of the figures and the pictorial 


character of the compositions. 


16 THE TRIUMPH OF TIME 

French, Touraine, beginning of the XVI century 
H.12FT. 4 IN,, W. 11 F7. yee 

LENT BY GEORGE D. PRATT 

Seated on a triumphal car drawn by two stags, Time drives 
over the recumbent figure of Fame, whose multiple trumpet 


lies in fragments about her. He holds a clock, and is at- 
tended by his adherents, Nestor, Noah, and Methuselah. 


24 


Above his head is the zodiac, while sun and moon witness 
his triumph. The French inscriptions on the two scrolls 
above the group may be translated: “Aroused after noisy 
squabbles and debates, Time, old and broken, fearing no 
foeman (literally, without fearing anyone carrying arms) has 
caused Fame several alarms, and from the highest place has 
toppled her down.” 

Another part of this tapestry, representing the triumph of 
Fame, is also owned by Mr. Pratt. These pieces originally 
formed part of a series depicting the triumph of Love, the 
triumph of Chastity over Love, the triumph of Death over 
Chastity, followed by the two just mentioned — Fame vic- 
torious over Death, and Time vanquishing Fame, and con- 
cluding with the triumph over all by Eternity in the form 
of the Holy Trinity. The same cartoons were used for a set 
of Triumphs in the Austrian State Collections, Vienna. An 
inscription on one of these tapestries is read by Dr. Acker- 
man (cf. Introduction, p. viii) as the signature of Bonaven- 
ture Thieffries, a tapestry designer of Tournai, who was ap- 
prenticed in 1505 and became a master in 1512. Tournai and 
Oudenarde as well as Touraine have been suggested as the 
place of manufacture, but the probabilities favor Touraine. 
Inspired by the “Trionfi” of Petrarch, these allegories were 
a popular subject in the sixteenth century. The compositions, 
which recall the triumphal processions of ancient Rome, and 
the numerous personages drawn from Greek and Roman 
sources as well as from the Bible attest the growing taste for 
classical antiquity that marks the close of the Gothic period. 


5 


& 


OF THIS CATALOGUE 


ms 


COPIES WERE PRINTED MAY, 1928 


wu 


oe 


Photomount 
Pamphlet 
Binder 
Gaylord Bros. Inc. 


Makers 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
PAT. JAN 21, 1908 


